Nomos AG, CH-Zurich

21. February 2016

obolos 4

Best e-sale ever of Nomos

The 1000 lots of obolos 4 were greeted with wild acclaim and fervor by 520 bidders, who sent in a total of 3938 bids and made this sale the best e-sale ever of Nomos. The final hammer price was CHF 519,152.- not including the 18.5% buyers’ fee. Yves Gunzenreiner, director of Nomos AG, celebrated this success by treating all his staff with take-out hamburgers from across the street!

The prices realized were often incredible increments over their starting prices: lot 15, the surprisingly interesting and attractive obol of the Boii, with a facing head and a rooster, went for 650 against a start of just 25! Yet another, described as unique (17), soared to 800!

Lot 206: THESSALY, Skotussa. Late 5th century BC. Tetartemorion = quarter obol. Of great rarity, apparently unpublished and unique. Very fine. From a European collection, formed before 2005. Starting Price: 225 CHF; Hammer Price: 2,200 CHF.

But strong prices were everywhere – an extremely rare Alexander drachm from Karne soared to 1300 from its starting price (admittedly low) of 150; and a unique quarter obol from Skotussa (206) was fought over from a start of 225 to a final price of 2200! The obol of Kyzikos went for a really strong 1600 (starting 75); and a wonderfully archaic hemihekte from an uncertain mint in Ionia reached 3400 (over a start of 450).

Good stories help make good prices, as with the little bronze of Hadrian from Hadrianotherai with the head of a she-bear on the reverse (700 from 100). All through the Roman and Byzantine sections bids were strong and bidders gained lots at prices ranging from the start all the way up to many multiples of it. The sale ended with a lot containing some 520 coins from an old collection in the Czech Republic (lot 1000: its starting price of 2000 went to 20,000!).